The City of Melbourne is the home, workplace and leisure centre of one of the world's most harmonious and culturally diverse communities.

Residents from more than 140 nations live side by side in Melbourne, brought here by four main waves of migration.

The first wave was European settlement in the 1830s by mostly Anglo-Celtic people who displaced the area’s original inhabitants, the people of the Kulin nation.

The second was a flood of hopefuls from all over the world trying their luck during the 1850s Gold Rush, which lead to further Aboriginal dispossessions, especially inland from the early Melbourne settlement. This influx saw the arrival of significant numbers of Chinese.

The third wave was post-WWII refugees and displaced people from Europe as well as assisted migrants to bolster Australia’s population. By 1976, 20 per cent of the city’s population spoke a non-English first language.

The most recent significant wave is post-1970s, which saw large numbers from Vietnam and Cambodia.

Throughout these waves of migration, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have remained the largest source countries, resulting in a population mix where 74 per cent are Anglo-Celtic, 19 per cent other European, and 4.5 per cent Asian.

Melbourne today is a welcoming, outgoing and confident city, a reflection on the generous and inclusive spirit of its people.

This spirit embraces change while respecting heritage, celebrates diversity while sharing a common sense of place and pride, and aspires to a rich, lively and peaceful future.

Immigration Museum

The Immigration Museum in the city exhibits not only the success stories of multiculturalism but also provides information on the displacement of indigenous people, the White Australia Policy of the 1950s and 1960s and the difficulties ethnic communities have experienced fitting into Australian society in the past.

The museum is in the beautifully restored Old Customs House building. Customs House was to early Melbourne what Ellis Island was to New York. It was the gateway to the goldfields, and boatloads of hopefuls were processed in the building by customs officials.

Immigration Museum
Address: 400 Flinders Street, Melbourne
Phone: 9927 2700
Website: immigration.museum.vic.gov.au